Jain Buddhists use it in place of onion and garlic. If you watch Manjula on Youtube she uses it for tons of dishes. When I make Indian food on a weeknight I'll make it the Jain way cause chopping onions and garlic and then sauteeing them takes far longer (but tastes way better) than adding a pinch of hing (asafoetida). I store mine in a glass jar away from the kitchen.